Making Home: My Favorite Things...Part III

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "My Favorite Things"

Who can forget Julie Andrews in The Sound Of Music?

Classic

Although my favorite rendition has always been country singer Lorrie Morgan's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXiTIsB_ADQ

As we are winding down to the last few days before Christmas , I am reflecting on some of my favorite things.

So I decided I would do posts this week on things that bring a smile to my face .

I hope they make you smile too.

From flickr.com

Least you all think I'm a Lush ( and I know some of you do ) ,

I must say, I do enjoy a good cocktail.

Whether it's sharing a morning Bloody Mary,

or a late afternoon sangria with my BFF's at the river or

a wine and snacky party with my girlfriends,

good friends and good cocktails = a smile on my face.

I thought I would share a couple of my go-to cocktail recipes with you.

At the river, my BFF and I like to mix up a batch of homemade Bloody Mary mix.

via cupcakesandcashmere.com

We bottle it up and have it on hand for the season.

It is SO much better than bought mix.

Bloody Mary Mix

31/2 Cups water

31/2 Beef Bouillon cubes

Boil these and remove from heat.

Add:

3/4 cup lemon juice

1 T. celery salt

1 T. Tabasco

3 quarts V-8

1 quart Clamato

3 1/2 ounce Worcestershire sauce

1 T. horseradish

Bottle it up for the best Bloody Marys ever.

Add Vodka ( your preference on amount) pour in mix and garnish.

We like the " whole salad bar" , pickle spear, olive, celery stalk, etc.

Enjoy!

via kathiecooks.blogspot.com

Around the neighborhood , I'm famous ( or infamous ) for my Sangria.

Sangria is basically a wine punch made with various fruit juices and liquors.

My basic recipe is as follows :

One bottle dry red wine

One cup Rum

One cup Raspberry Schnapps

I can frozen lemonade

1 can frozen fruit punch

3 cups water ( sometimes I use 7-up or Spite in place of water for a little fizz)

Sliced fruit ,1 lemons , 1 limes , 1 orange

Place the fruit in the bottom of a gallon size container

( I like to use the Pampered Chef Quick-Stir Pitcher)

add all the other ingredients.

If you are using soda instead of water, don't add it till you are ready to serve.

Let the party begin !

I've already told you about my love of wine .

And my adventure in stomping grapes at my favorite Iowa Winery.

I just love a glass of Summerset Caba Moch . If you are in the Indianola, Iowa area, you should check out their beautiful winery.

From etsy.com

My last recipe to share with you is for my favorite Martini.

Lemon Drop ~ YUMMY !

via weddingchicks.com

1 1/2 ounces vodka (use a good-quality vodka)

1/2 ounce orange liqueur (Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, Cointreau, etc.)
1 teaspoon superfine sugar or to taste*
3/4 ounce freshly-squeezed lemon juice
Ice cubes
Superfine sugar for dipping
Twisted peel of lemon

.
Mix the vodka, orange liqueur, sugar, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice

and Shake, Shake , Shake... Shake your booty.

Anyway...

(supposedly the cocktail is to be shaken 40 times to make sure the sugar is well blended).
Pour strained liquor into sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with a twisted peel of lemon.

To create a sugar-rimmed glass,

take a lemon wedge and rub the drinking surface of the glass so it is barely moist.

Dip the edge of the glass into the superfine sugar.